1st June, 2010: When I posted about the Bandhs and Strikes in the whole of this region at different forums and how tourism must be kept out of it, the posting on the facebook about the situation in Manipur seemed to be like a ‘SOS’. I decided to visit our country’s most culturally and historically important state, Manipur. On the 25th of May, when I reached Guwahati, I found to my astonishment that no bus service was plying for the past many days. The next move was to fly from Guwahati to Imphal on the 26th.
While going to the town from Imphal airport, I saw long (sometimes 3kms) queues of cars and motorbikes, with people waiting patiently waiting in the rains. The driver of my cab informed me that this was the queue for fuelling and that a litre of petrol costs atleast Rs.150/- a litre and diesel Rs.120/- a litre minimum. Also that it was rationed. He informed that in villages the same fuel would cost double and that a kilo of rice was being sold for a minimum of Rs.100/-.
The scene continued for the next three days that I stayed on. We often hear people refer to Northeastern states as hostile, but imagine if this would have happened to any city or town in any other part of India. I can bet there would be pulling down of fuel stations, long protests, breaking of vehicles plying on road and major everyday hostility. I was amazed at the patience, gentleness and quality of our youths living there.
This seemed to me as a World War II situation, when the Japanese forces had taken over the Kohima-Imphal axis and blocked all movements and rations to the base at Imphal. It reminds me of the Battle of Jessime and Battle of Kohima were fought by the British Indian forces to open this route, and finally the Japanese ha to retreat.
Today, it is our own people everywhere, the people creating the blockade, the people being affected and the our defence forces who could probably clear such blockades. The Manipur Tourism catchline is ‘Gateway to Southeast Asia’, when the local people are suffering how can a tourist arrive here. Tourism is all about ‘BETTER PLACES TO LIVE IN AND VISIT’.
Is there a way??? I think yes, when we look at Northeast and often refer to it as the remote corners of the country, we have a mind blockade. This is the most centrally located region and the meeting point of South and Southeast Asia. We have to change our policies and rather than sticking to 22 items to be traded through the Tamo/Morrey border and 29 items through Nathula border, let us broaden our vision and introduce a implementable policy.
The Southern Silk route that dominated in the Brahmaputra region, connecting Irrawaddy to the Bay of Bengal, hundreds of trade routes dominated the region. These routes were later followed for war tactics between the Himalaya and Bay of Bengal nurtured by numerous land routes and river routes. Why could we not bring our fuel and essential supplies from Myanmar???
